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protect me.

when i protect you from my negativity, i remind myself that i’m safe. and that’s how i keep you safe. when you protect me from your negativity, you remind yourself that you’re strong. that’s how you keep me safe. when i can keep my side of the street clean, i avoid junking up your view, you have the freedom to sweep your side as you see fit, and together, we keep the neighborhood property values high.

when i tend to the younger selves that still live with me, you don’t have to hear the screaming from these little ones who would happily burn down the entire house just to see you come running. when you tend to all the pets and plants you’ve taken in, i don’t have to worry that you’ve turned your life into an emergency room hospital zoo. we each retain the privacy we need to do God’s work: that which has been assigned to us and is ours alone.

sometimes, the winds blow a little too strong and i have to bring my entire house down to the studs. i’m allowed to start over when i’m ready to rebuild. and you’re happy for me that i get to live in a house that remakes itself; that every whenever, i get to be brand-new, without shame for what i outgrew.